The Rule of Three
by KHLostEmpress
Summary: Modern Fantasy Tale: Kari wanted a little freedom from being the heir of C&L, Inc. When Yolei invites her to her Texas ranch for the winter break, Kari seizes the chance. But breaking down on the side of the road is only the first event in a chain that will include a long-lost brother, a rock star, volunteer kidnap attempts, and a (somewhat) literal knight in shining armor. Aladdin
1. Flat Tire of Fate

Author's Notes: Modern Fantasy Tale based on Aladdin

So...remember that Takari I said I wasn't going to post until I had it written? Yeah, this is it. I didn't want to post it due to the likelihood of plot holes as I wrote it, but now I'm pretty sure I've got a handle on the story, so we're good. And I'm just impatient. And need motivation to keep writing. Congratulations, you guys are my motivation.

A. This takes place in America. So, I gave the Digidestined non-Japanese last names and used the dub names. It has no bearing on the story itself. Just that I thought it would fit the setting better. I still stayed semi-canon for last names. I'll be interested to see who can figure out what I mean by that.

2. Only the 02 Digidestined are in the story. There are three older Digidestined that appear. They each have a specific role to play and after the first arc, their presence is minimal. You'll see who the three are later, but if you know me, you can probably guess who they are. Also, Davis, Ken, and Cody will take a while to show up. Be patient. They are coming.

D. The story moves a little slow. I've never written a story before where TK and Kari don't know each first. I thought the first bit here would take two chapters at most. But now I'm on chapter five and we are _still on day one_. So, you're in for the long haul with this one.

* * *

This was the sort of event she had been sure only actually happened in movies. Yet, here she was, stuck on the side of the road with a flat tire, alone, in Middle of Nowhere, Texas, miles from any civilization and zero cell phone reception. The last town she'd passed through twenty minutes ago had been this tiny little place called Aspermont. She'd been completely unaware that towns that small still really existed. Her brown hair fell to either side of her face as she rested her forehead against the steering wheel. She lifted her hand and turned the key one notch over so that the car was off but she could still hear her music. The most she could say was that at least it wasn't raining, because at this point, she was sure she wouldn't be able to get the convertible top up. It was turning into that sort of day.

She wasn't sure what she was expecting to happen next, but it certainly wasn't the boy on the horse.

Kari Miller lifted her head off the steering wheel to check out her surroundings. There wasn't much to see beyond the fences that lined the road: the ground was flat grassland. Her car rested halfway off the two lane road that led to the Sincere Love Ranch. Said ranch was owned and operated by the Christun family. The youngest daughter of the Christun family, Yolei, also happened to be Kari's best friend. Both of them attended the same boarding school just outside New York City, which was the place Kari called home herself.

Yolei had invited her to spend Christmas at the ranch with her family. Since Christmas had always been a rather lonely affair since her mother died nearly a decade ago (and her brother leaving two years ago did not help), Kari had eagerly agreed. It had taken her _weeks_ to convince her father to allow her to come alone. And now after a four hour early morning flight from New York to Dallas and nearly four hours in her rented car already, she was starting to question her sanity and curse her independent streak. Kari reached down and pulled the lever to let the seat fall back as far as possible. Before she laid back, she reached out and turned her music up louder.

A heavy sigh escaped her as she flung her arm over her eyes to block out the sun. "Why couldn't I come with Yolei _two days ago_?" she muttered. Of course, she knew the answer to that. Her father, Sumner Miller, billionaire owner and CEO of C&L, Inc., had insisted that she attend his company's holiday party before she left for the ranch. Yet, because of this predicament she found herself in now, he probably wouldn't let her go anywhere on her own again until she turned forty. Even though it was partly his fault for making her stay and not letting her go with Yolei, where none of this would have been likely to happen.

A soft purring distracted her from her thoughts, barely audible over the loud music. Kari turned her head to the passenger seat where her cat lay inside her travel case. Reaching out her hand, she placed it against the small door. "Oh, Nefertiti, what are we going to do," Kari muttered despondently. Nefertiti's only response was to stare unblinking at her with wide blue eyes.

The cat, whose short fur was completely white other than two orange forepaws, had been the final present her brother had given her before he left home to pursue his dream of becoming a professional soccer player. Their father had been so angry that her brother, Tai, had been unwilling to take on the family business that he cut him off completely. And so, Kari hadn't been able to talk to Tai in over two years now. She kept up with him the best she could as she knew which league he played for in Europe, but it wasn't the same.

The sun was beating down at her, causing her to want to take a nap. She wouldn't call it hot exactly, but it was warmer than any place in December had any right to be. It was a far cry from the feets of snow she'd left back home in New York City, to say the least. Kari felt her eyelids get heavier, knowing she probably _shouldn't_ fall asleep but not quite able to help it.

"Hey, are you alright?"

Not quite proud of the way she screamed and leapt back in fright (but in her defence, she hadn't _really_ been expecting anyone to just show up, considering that there wasn't even a _tree_ in sight, let alone any buildings. Seriously, what was wrong with this state? What kind of place didn't have _trees_?), Kari stared wide-eyed at the young man standing next to her door. Her hand flung to her chest where her heart was beating erratically fast against her ribs. The boy frowned apologetically and said, "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to startle you."

Holding up a hand to placate him, Kari took a deep breath and let it out. "It's fine," she reassured him. Her panic had calmed, but her heart still beat pretty firmly in her chest. Now, it was for completely different reason, however. With golden blonde hair and bright blue eyes contrasted against suntanned skin, the teen before her (whom she guessed was around her age) was anything but unattractive. His expression was pinched with concern as he repeated his first question, inquiring if she was alright. "No, my car got a flat…" She replied automatically to the question, but her voice trailed off as her mind finally caught up with her. Kari broke off staring into his crystalline gaze and looked around frantically as she asked, "Wait. _Where_ did you _come_ from?" Her eyes found the horse—that she was one hundred percent positive had not been there before—standing tethered on the other side of the fence that ran alongside the road, about five feet from the paving itself.

The knowledge she had about horses was extremely limited, but Kari could appreciate the golden brown shining coat of it. It's mane and tail were a sort of off-white color, and there was a curious off-white marking on its head, almost like a shooting star with the burst near its eyes and a tail of white trailing almost down it its nose. She thought it was a very beautiful animal. Like cats, she'd always had a sort of soft spot for horses. The only other ones she'd seen up close were those horses that pulled the carriages around Central Park. Her brother had taken her out in one the Christmas before he left.

"I live at Sincere Love Ranch." As he spoke, she turned her attention back to the young man, who looked absolutely nothing like she'd envisioned a cowboy to look. Sure, he had the worn jeans, but instead of boots, his feet were shod in rather worn out and ragged sneakers. She wasn't sure what she thought a cowboy's shirt would be (plaid, right?), but it certainly wasn't the solid green collared shirt underneath a brown suede jacket which Kari could tell at a glance was not real leather. Not that it mattered, since she already kind of figured he worked at the ranch and was not a part of the family. Kari had met Yolei's brother, and he did not look like that. He pointed up the road where she had been heading. "Were you headed there?" Considering this road lead exclusively to the ranch, Kari could understand how he could come to that conclusion. "I could take you there if you like," he offered, giving her a small smile of reassurance.

Just to be sure, however, Kari thought she should be positive they were talking about the same place. "Sincere Love Ranch? As in the Christun family?" When the boy nodded in agreement, Kari squealed happily and made to get out of the car. The boy stepped back, so she could open the door. "That is exactly where I was going. I'm friends with Yolei, you see, and she invited me to spend Christmas with her." Impulsively, she threw her arms around the boy, who stiffened in response. Though, she could hardly blame him; Kari knew she probably seemed like some crazy lady at the moment, but she was so relieved that she couldn't bring herself to care. "Thank you so much!"

"Err...right," the boy muttered awkwardly. She took her arms from around him and clasped them behind her back as she took a step back from him. Muttering an apology, Kari gave him a sort of sheepish smile in apology. HIs own lips curled upwards in a soft smile, but far bigger than that first one had been. She couldn't help but notice that it looked...well, natural was the only word she could think to use to describe it. Like his face was made to always have a smile on it.

"Well, Miss Miller, just…"

Her body started in reaction. "Miss Miller?" The repeated words held the scoff of her tone. "Please, it's Kari." Eyes narrowing in sudden suspicion, she added, "How do you know my name anyway?"

His answering smile was even brighter than the first one she'd seen. "Your friend, Miss Christun, has talked a lot about your coming." It was in that moment that she realized the whole "Miss" thing must have just come from living on a ranch and working for those that owned it. Plus, it might have been that whole thing about the Texas good manners one hears about. But she'd been hoping, with her vision of Texas as a more laid back place, that she'd gotten away from that. Everyone but her closest friends addressed her by her last name at Kari's private school—even the teachers.

And she was too far up on the "food chain" (as Yolei called it) at school for those to be more than few and far between. Not by choice really because Kari had tried—she was friendly to anyone and everyone she met, but as soon as most found out who her father was, they maintained their distance. Afraid, Yolei had once termed them. Afraid that her friendliness was a farce and what she would do to them if they got on her bad side. When Kari had tried to protest that it wasn't true, Yolei had cut her off. Because Yolei knew it was all a load of crap—didn't stop other people from believing it.

What's more, she couldn't find a refuge outside of school, either. The two maids that cleaned their penthouse also called her "Miss Miller" as did anyone she saw from her father's company. So, all she really wanted was for this boy to call her by her name, even though, in his case, Kari knew he was just trying to be polite. "Anyway, it's Kari. I might have to...I don't know. Glare at you harshly until I come up with a more suitable punishment if you call me anything else." She pointed her finger at him to emphasize her point.

He took all her words with a low rumble of a laugh, deep in his chest. "Alright, Kari." She could not suppress the slight shudder that ran through her body as her name rolled off his tongue. His voice wasn't crazy deep like some she'd heard, but it certainly wasn't a tenor. It didn't hurt that she found him very good-looking. In any case, it took her a moment to realize he was holding his hand out to her. "I'm TK," he introduced himself, as his lips still twitched in mirth.

"Very nice to meet you," Kari said, taking his hand and shaking it. She bit her lip and added, "I don't suppose you could give me a ride to the ranch?"

"Of course. Just grab what you absolutely need. When we get there, I'm sure Mr. and Mrs. Christun will see that someone comes back for the rest." She nodded in understanding and bent over the side of the car to snag the keys out of the ignition. Then, she leaned into the back seat and pulled out her purse. Luckily enough, she'd brought one of the larger ones that could be slung over her shoulders. Most everything she needed was already in there. She put it on, dumped the keys inside, and moved around the car to Nefertiti. Kari gently got her cat out of her cage. "I can't leave her here," she defended when she saw TK frowning slightly at her.

Looking somewhat startled, TK shook his head. "No, of course not. I was just trying to figure out where to put her," he explained as he came around the car to stand beside her. TK extended his hands out slightly to her with his palms facing up. "Will she let me take her?"

In fact, while not exactly unfriendly or mean, Nefertiti did rather prefer only Hikari's touch. She didn't try to scratch those that petted her, but she did tend to hiss and shy away from those that tried. Hikari was about to explain this to him, when the white cat leapt out of her arms and climbed up onto TK's shoulder. Her mouth dropped open as Nefertiti purred and rubbed her head against the boy's blond hair. "She usually doesn't take so well to people."

His answering smile was so bright that Hikari found the corners of her lips turning upward in response. "Guess I must just be that charming." Butterflies fluttered in her stomach, and she could feel a slight warmth in her cheeks. Tucking her bottom lip underneath her teeth, she mentally told herself to get a grip. But TK was the first person to be nice and friendly around her since Yolei, and the boy _was_ adorable. If he'd heard Yolei talking about her, there was a chance that he already knew who she was, and he was still treating her like this.

She still tried to not let the hope rise in her too much. TK might not actually know who she was, and she didn't want to feel the disappointment if he started to act like everyone else when they found out. "Come on," he said. Taking her hand, TK led her to the fence. He grabbed Nefertiti from his shoulder and slipped through two of the rungs with ease. On the other hand, Kari hesitated, absolutely sure she was not going to be able to get through as easily without falling flat on her face.

An amused low chuckle caused her to look back up at the boy. "Hand me your bag," he instructed, and she pulled it over her head. TK took it from her and put it on. He held out a hand through the rungs and gazed at her. "Trust me. I won't let you fall." Tentatively, she placed her hand in his and bent to climb through the fence. Hikari stumbled a bit getting her second leg through, but true to his word, TK's grip tightened, and he did not let her fall.

"Thanks," Kari said as she straightened. They were now right next to where the horse was tethered. Her eyes grew wide as she stared at it. She'd forgotten just how big horses were. TK walked past her and started to rub it on the nose. She could see his mouth moving in murmurs, but it was too quiet for her to make out exactly what he was saying. Her fist came up to her mouth to cover the small giggle that escaped her. TK looked quite the sight with her designer bag slung on his back and Nefertiti on his shoulder again.

He glanced over at her and smiled. This time there was a proud look on his face as he said, "This is Pegasus. He'll get us home."

Cautiously, she approached Pegasus and reached her hand up to pet him on the neck. "He's very beautiful." His coat felt like velvet under her fingers. Pegasus didn't turn and bite her, so she figured she was good.

"I've raised him since he was a baby. We've been together for almost three years," he commented as TK moved closer to her.

Kari exclaimed in surprise. "That's just like me and Nefertiti!" She reached up to scratch underneath the white cat's chin. "My brother gave her to me about that long ago."

Nefertiti purred underneath her touch. The edge of her lips turned down in a slight frown as her brother came to mind again from her own words. She felt his hand on her shoulder and lifted her eyes to his face that was pinched a little in concern. "Kari?"

She waved her hand at him in dismissal. "It's nothing really." Giving a reassuring smile, she continued, "I don't get to see my brother often, since he plays soccer in Europe." Even though "often" translated more into "never" (at least in person) in reality, she left that out as she was hoping to cut off the follow-up questions.

As she had been hoping, TK merely nodded and led her to the horse's side. "Come on, let's get going." He guided her to put her foot in the stirrup before pushing her up into the saddle. Kari breathed her gratitude as he handed Nefertiti up to her. Finally, he untied the reins from the fence post before pulling himself up into the saddle behind her in one swift smooth motion. He used the reins to turn Pegasus's head. With a click of his heels they headed out, following the line of the road along the fence. "You were actually pretty close to the house," TK commented. "We're only about three miles away."

"How long will it take us to get there?" Kari asked. She imagined that horses could move pretty fast when they were running. But she really had no idea how fast they could walk, carrying two people no less.

"About half an hour."

Not sure whether or not that was making good time or not, Kari nodded and let the topic drop. At least she knew how long they had before they reached the ranch. She found herself wondering about the boy behind her. Yolei had never mentioned him before, but he seemed comfortable with horses. Assuming he either lived or worked at the ranch, she asked, "TK, what do you do around the ranch? I mean, do you work at Sincere Love Ranch?"

The reply was quickly forthcoming. "Sort of. But it's also my home. I've lived at Sincere Love my whole life," he answered. "My grandfather is foreman there." In Kari's mind, it finally clicked who this boy was. She didn't know the particulars, but Yolei had mentioned the foreman, old Mr. Erholtz, before to her. Yolei described him as a scary old man who used to yell at her for getting into things. Kari was pretty sure she mentioned a grandson at some point but didn't bring up his name or really anything else about him.

Because it was intriguing to her that he would bring up his grandfather and not them, Kari found herself asking, "What about your parents?"

He became quiet. It was a heavy silence, one that Kari was familiar with, as it appeared whenever someone asked about her mother. Just as she opened her mouth to tell him that he didn't have to say anything, TK answered. "My father died before I was born." It was the anticipated response, but without a mention of his mother, Kari knew there was more to the story. Without prompting, TK continued, "So my mother moved back here where her father was. She'd grown up on the ranch, too. When I was four, she got sick and died as well. So, it's always just been me and my grandfather."

* * *

_Author's Notes: Yep. I named their pets after their Digimon. Just a little shout out there.  
_


	2. Sincere Love Ranch

A sinking feeling settled in her chest as Kari digested this information. She cringed and slid her eyes shut, beating herself about asking. She should have realized if he hadn't mentioned them himself, then they probably were not in the picture. TK was even worse off than her. At least she still had her father (even if he was a little controlling and overprotective at times) and her older brother (despite the physical distance between them right now). Both of his parents were already gone, and while he'd never really had a father, she knew that he probably didn't have many personal memories of his mother, either. You could remember a few things at four years old but not very much. So, he'd been alone with his grandfather his whole life. And she didn't doubt that his grandfather loved him, but she imagined it still had to be lonely and disheartening to be without parents at times.

Placing one of her own hands on top of his own, she circled her thumb once on his skin. "I'm so sorry." Kari knew the words might be meaningless—she'd heard them enough when her own mother died to understand that. But truly they were the only words she could think to say. "I didn't mean…"

The words failed her as she trailed off and silence fell. TK moved the reins so that he was holding both in one hand. With his now free hand, he returned Kari's gesture; his large, warm hand encompassed her own and his thumb slid across the back of it. "It's alright," he murmured.

It was a lie, but one that hardly anyone ever called anybody else out on. Things like that were never truly alright. True, time could dull the pain, and there _were_ days a person could forget about it. Kari was well aware that it could never be fully erased. Which was why, perhaps, her next words fell out of her mouth before she'd even realized it. "My mother died, too. About ten years ago." Her breath caught in her throat as she heard her own admittance. Yvonne Miller's death was something she didn't like to talk about with people she knew, let alone some stranger she'd only met twenty minutes ago. Despite having just said the words to him, the last thing she needed was to hear those words of sympathy from TK. Her whole body tensed in anticipation of his response.

Almost as if he heard her desire, that wasn't what TK chose to say at all. "I guess we have more in common than we thought," he said simply.

Kari's whole body relaxed as she hummed in agreement, too relieved for words at that moment. She leaned back against his chest, even more than she had at the beginning. His free hand wrapped lightly around her waist. Whether it was a deliberate move or an unconscious response to her action did not seem to matter to her. A giddy feeling bubbled within her that had everything to do with that a really cute guy was holding her; the circumstances, at that moment, were irrelevant. The experience she had with boys was minimal (if you could call being introduced and talking with her father's business associates' sons experience).

Since she was sort of ostracized at school (besides Yolei), Kari had little knowledge of what she should do. She could literally feel the heat rising on her cheeks and told herself to stop acting like a silly high school girl. Even as part of her mind argued that she _was_ still a high school girl, and therefore her behavior was completely legitimized. Because she was totally aware of her own innocence.

Yet, it had been such a long time since she felt such comfortable silence. She was hardly ever alone with her father, but anytime she'd been was tense. They had little in common, and most of the time Kari was sure her father really had no idea what to do with a teenage daughter. Yolei got jumpy when it was silent, so time around her was always full of noise. Her brother, like Yolei, had been loud and buoyant—quiet times around him had been far and few between. And in the last few years before he had left, arguments between Tai and their father had caused the whole atmosphere of the house to often be uncomfortable.

Still, she'd hate it if they ended their conversation on such a sad note and so cast her mind about for a brighter topic. "So…" she drawled out. Her first thought was to start asking what his favorite color was, but that seemed like a stupid idea, so she dismissed it. Clearly, family was not the best topic to bring up for TK, and it wasn't like she was keen on talking about her own at the moment, either. Another topic occurred to her as she brightened up and half-turned to look up at him. "What about school?" she asked. "What grade are you in?"

"I'm a senior," he answered easily. Kari noticed that the perpetual upturn of his lips she'd already begun to associate with TK had returned. She'd heard, rather than saw, it leave when he was talking about his family before.

Nearly bouncing in her seat, she exclaimed, "Me, too." Her guess had been that he was around the same age as he, and it was nice to have it confirmed. Somehow, she was sure her ability to converse would have stilted whether she found out he was older or younger than her. For completely different reasons but the effect would have been the same. "Where do you go?" Honestly, she was curious not only because that was the most logical follow-up question, but also because there was literally nothing out here after that town Aspermont she'd passed through. She couldn't imagine the commute each day if that was where TK went to school.

So, his answer was not what she was expecting but made sense when she heard it. "Actually, I was homeschooled up until high school," he started. There was a moment's pause before he continued. His tone lowered in volume and changed to a deeper emotion she couldn't quite identify. "Mr. Christun helped to get me into a school in Fort Worth. Now, I live in the city during the school year and only come back to the ranch for breaks."

"I've been going to the same boarding school my whole life in New York," Kari offered. Finally, she turned back around and settled back into his chest. She couldn't help but be secretly thrilled that he was tall enough for her to fit underneath his chin with ease. Still, she rested her head slightly to the side onto the shoulder of the arm he still had wrapped around her.

"Yes. The same one as Miss Christun."

His response instantly deflated her, even though that was likely not his intention to do so. Yet, it was just one more person who apparently knew more about her life than she knew about theirs. "Oh, right," she breathed. "I guess you already knew that."

She felt him shift slightly behind her as he asked, "Kari, what is it?"

As she shook her head, Kari turned her head back again to look up at him and found him gazing down at her. Their faces were entirely too close for comfort, inches apart, and Kari felt her face flame again. Instantly, her head whipped back around to the front but not before she noted TK's cheeks had flushed to match her own. Inside her chest, her heart was pounding again. With her back against his chest, Kari could feel TK matching hers, beat for beat. There was a sense of satisfaction that she was not the only one affected by the spark of attraction. Kari doubted that anything would come of it and was sure that familiarity would soon bleed the attraction away. That didn't stop her from feeling flattered that she affected him, even if just a little.

Those boys her father father would introduce to her had always told her she was pretty (sometimes in some archaic, poetic way that had her biting her lip to keep from laughing in their faces). It was different like this; being able to feel the sincerity without even having to hear the words. She'd never felt her appearance was ugly, but other than from her family or Yolei, she hadn't felt that anyone else had _really_ meant it. "It's nothing," she whispered.

Yolei never would have let that go, but TK didn't press her for an answer, reminding her yet again that they'd only known each other for less than thirty minutes. This time, neither of his arms wrapped back around her as he reached around her to rub Pegasus's neck. "When I'm in the city, I really miss this place," TK commented suddenly. Kari recognized a subject change when she saw it and was immensely grateful. "I'd just arrived yesterday and was taking Pegasus out for the first time in months. I guess it was fortunate that we were out here to find you."

"Yes. I don't know what I would have done without you," Kari said, and she really meant it. A part of her would like to think that she would have gotten out of the car and started walking, but another part was afraid she would have just sat in the car, dying in the sun, waiting for someone to come get her.

The conversation fell flat into silence. However, this time it wasn't as comfortable as the last. As they sat on Pegasus, heading steadily forward along the line of the road, Kari almost wished that she hadn't started speaking at all. While she was happy to learn more about TK, she missed that ease they'd achieved before she'd made it all awkward by getting upset about something that wasn't even his fault. So, for a few minutes, nothing was said at all until TK suddenly lifted his hand and pointed into the distance in front of them. "Look. You can see the house. We'll be there is about five minutes."

Kari squinted her eyes and saw the large ranch house and its surrounding buildings in the distance. Thankfully, as if the sight of their destination was magic, the tension between them dissipated instantly. True to his prediction, they arrived at the front door a little over five minutes later. TK swung off Pegasus and then reached up to help her down. Kari swung her leg over and slid down with Nefertiti held tight in her arms. TK caught her and set her gently on the ground. "Thank you," she said as he handed her the bag as well.

When he grabbed Pegasus's reins and took a step away from her after saying good-bye, Kari panicked. A small voice in her head argued that she would be fine since she was going to see _Yolei_, after all, but a large part of her told that small voice to shut up. There was a household of people in that house ready to welcome her, but TK was still the only person in sight and walking up the steps to the porch suddenly seemed incredibly intimidating. "Wait!" she exclaimed. Her hand reached out to grab the sleeve of his jacket, just below the shoulder. The expression on his face when he looked down at her was clearly a mix of confusion and surprise. She finished, answering his unasked question, "You aren't coming with me?"

After all, what if Yolei wasn't home? (As unlikely as that was considering there was really _nowhere_ else to go out here.) Kari had only met the other members of Yolei's family one time officially—apart from faraway glances at whoever came to get Yolei from school at the beginning of summer. She hardly knew them and would feel crazily uncomfortable trying to explain herself to one of them if she was standing alone. Having TK there next to her would help, she was sure.

Gently, TK removed her grip from his sleeve and then released her hand, breaking the contact between them. "You'll be fine," he reassured her soothingly. He lifted his finger to point towards the door. "Just ring the doorbell and tell Mr. Christun what happened. I promise he will have someone take care of everything." Again, he turned away from her to leave.

However, Kari snatched his arm once more and tugged. There was barely any resistance when he followed her, dropping Pegasus's reins, mild protests falling out of his mouth. Kari overrode those as words babbled out of her own mouth. "You're coming with me," she said as she half-dragged him up the large porch steps. "I want to tell them how much you helped me."

"No, Kari. It's really okay." TK half-heartedly tried to shake off her grip. (She knew it had to be half-heartedly because TK had nearly a foot of height and _at least_ fifty pounds on her, if not more, not to mention she wa a pampered princess—much as she loathed to admit it—and he'd lived on a ranch his whole life; it was easy to see where a contest of strengths would end.) "I shouldn't…" He trailed off with a heavy sigh as she kept one hand gripped firmly on his arm and pushed the doorbell with the finger of her other hand, working around holding Nefertiti.

There was silence for a moment before she heard the ever increasing sound of rushing feet getting closer until the door was flung open with exuberance. Her best friend, Yolei Christun, stood staring for a split second before her face popped into a wide grin. On the other side was a young woman, taller than Kari by about half a head, wearing jeans embroidered with pale purple butterflies on the thighs and a long-sleeved white peasant top. Her straight lavender hair hung down about half-way down her back and was held back from her face by a wide white headband that had a large dark violet daisy attached just above her left ear. Kari's best friend, Yolei Christun, stood staring at her for a split second before her face popped into a wide grin. Yolei's light brown eyes sparkled with happiness behind the circular lenses of her glasses as she flung her arms out and exclaimed, "Kari, you're here!" As she embraced Kari and pulled her into the house, Yolei twirled in a circle, lifting Kari slightly off the ground. Nefertiti mewed in protest and scampered out of Kari's arms the moment Yolei loosened her grasp. "What took you so long?" she asked as she held Kari at arm's length by her shoulders.

"I ran into some car problems," Kari answered absently. She was distracted by glancing around, trying to find out where her cat had run off to. After a moment, Kari spotted her at TK's feet, bringing her attention back to him. He was standing on the porch with his hands in his pockets. To her confusion, his body seemed kind of tense and his attention was on the cat at his feet. "TK helped me out," she continued with a slight frown on her face. Nefertiti circled around his legs one last time before she walked inside the house and disappeared down a hall, presumably to explore her new domain.

The boy in question didn't quite make eye contact with her as he shook his head. "Really, it was nothing." His body turned partly away from them, and he flung his thumb over his shoulder. "I'll just go now, Miss Christun." Now, Kari was at a complete loss of his behavior—a near one-eighty from the friendly, open personality he displayed with her on the ride over here. Remembering his reluctance to come up to the door with her, Kari's mind tried to puzzle out exactly what was going on.

Before the answer could fully form, her mind was shocked blank by Yolei. "Oh. Sure," she said indifferently. And then she shut the door almost before TK had barely turned away.

"Yolei!" Kari exclaimed. Her shock at her friend's behavior was slowly melting into outrage. "That was rude!"

The bespeckled girl cocked a single eyebrow at Kari. "Rude?" she repeated. A tuft of laughter came out her mouth as Yolei rolled her eyes and waved a hand in dismissal. "Oh, come on, Kari. It's just TK." With those flippant words, Kari found her answer. There was much she wanted to say to her best friend in that moment, but there was something else she had to take care of first.

Quickly, she opened the door and ran out, calling out TK's name as she went. The boy was already near the bottom of the stairs. At her call, he paused with his feet on two steps and turned halfway back to look at her. "I'm sorry about Yolei," Kari said, clasping her hands behind her back as she looked down at him from the top step.

The smile that returned to his face did not reach his eyes when he shrugged. "It doesn't matter."

Her jaw tightened as she gave him an emphatic answer. "Yes, it does." Because she knew what it was like for people to treat you a certain way because of who you were. Yolei was normally fairly nice to everyone (unless someone was, in her opinion, an idiot...which happened quite often actually), but now Kari realized she'd probably grown up pretty much ignoring TK. And vice versa, TK's grandfather had probably taught him from a young age to either avoid or obey any of the Christuns. But she had to believe that the person she'd first met was the real TK. She had to believe that kinship, that instant connection, she'd felt with him was real. She had so few friends, and she knew it would hurt to lose the chance with this one. For she was already starting to believe that that was what they could be, despite the short time they'd known each other. She'd told him about her mom. She didn't talk about her mom with _anyone_.

But she'd also been hurt too many times already not to be sure. "Look, TK," she said finally. It had been a few seconds since she'd last spoken, but he still stood silently waiting. "This may be a weird question, but do you know who I am?" She had to know. It was likely that he knew what her family was like since he knew what school she went to—it was not everyone that got into it.

The foot that had been on the ground rose as TK turned fully towards her and stood on the bottom step. His eyebrows furrowed down, and she could easily read the confusion in his eyes. "You're Kari Miller," he answered.

Which was easily enough for him to answer, considering she'd introduced herself when they met. But it was not enough for her to have her answer yet. "And do you know what that means?" she pressed.

His head ducked down, and he shuffled his foot slightly. "Of course, I do," he murmured barely loud enough to hear.

Even as he heart soared from his answer, Kari bit her bottom lip at his actions. Perhaps he was misunderstanding her intentions, and she could understand how TK might have gotten the wrong idea from her line of questioning. Happy as she was that she had her answer—he knew who she was and he'd still treated her normally—she knew she had to say something to clear it up. Now that she knew there was a chance he could become a real friend, she wasn't about to let this be some stupid barrier between them. "TK, can I find you sometime?" she asked, getting closer to him by walking down a step. The rest of his body stilled as his head lifted up. "To talk again?"

Tk's eyes widened, looking more surprised than Kari was expecting. "Why?"

Because she heard the genuine confusion in his question, not an inch of defensiveness, a bright smile formed on her lips as the honest answer come out. "Because I like talking with you," she said as she rocked slightly on her feet and gave her shoulders a small shrug.

TK came up another step, so that there was now only one empty step between them. This didn't quite make it so that they were eye level with each other, but it did bring them closer. His hands came out of his pockets as one hand went up to rub the back of his neck. "I'd talk anytime you want, Kari." The side of his lip quirked up into a half-smile, and his hand fell back down to his side.

Beaming triumphantly, Kari exclaimed, "Great." She walked backward up to the top step as she said, "So, see you later?" When TK nodded in response, Kari turned and headed back to the house, leaving him to return to Pegasus.

Yolei was leaning against the doorframe with her arms folded across her chest. One of her eyebrows was cocked upward as she studied Kari. "What was that about?" she asked as she moved out of the way to let Kari into the house.

Following her friend inside, Kari shut the door behind her. "He's a nice guy, Yolei," she defended. "And he treats me like a person."

"Whatever," Yolei dismissed, accompanied yet again by another wave of her hand and a roll of her eyes. Kari frowned but chose not to push the issue anymore. After all, she wasn't about to change her friend's lifelong behavior in five minutes. Suddenly, Yolei's whole demeanor changed back into barely contained excitement with a hint of mischievousness. "Anyway, you'll never believe who Chelsea brought with her."

Confused on what brought about this random change in topic, Kari immediately just asked, "Who?" She knew Chelsea was the sister just above Yolei; Kari had only met her the one time and probably knew a total of zero of the people she did. But from the way Yolei seemed to be barely holding onto her excitement as her lips pressed tightly together in an attempt not to smile, it seemed that she was expecting Kari to know who she was talking about.

"Her best friend, Mimi Sampler, Mimi's boyfriend, and _his_ best friend."

While the name Mimi Sampler sounded familiar, it and none of the others mentioned really meant anything to her. It was clear this was making Yolei excited, but Kari still couldn't see why. "So?"

Now, Yolei's lips curled into a smirk and a glint entered her eyes. "Well," she drawled. "Guess who Mimi's boyfriend is," she goaded.

Tired of this game, Kari rubbed her forehead and sighed. "Yolei, just tell me," she pleaded.

"Mimi is dating none other than Matt Reisz."


	3. Music and Soccer

Author's Notes: To those that are curious, the last names I picked are the last names of their English voice actors. So, still within the Digimon sphere, I guess.

* * *

"Matt Reisz?" Kari repeated. There was only one person she could think of that Yolei would expect her to know by that name. "As in the leader of The Wolves? _That_ Matt Reisz?" Yolei was simply _obsessed_ with the band. They debuted quite a few years ago, back when the members had all still been in high school. Their upbeat rock songs and harmonious ballads had quickly garnished the attention of many, both male and female alike. Kari could understand Yolei's excitement; while not as avid a fan as her friend, Kari did count many of their songs among her favorites.

But it seemed Yolei was still holding something back as she bounced on her feet, nodding her head. "Uh-huh." Yolei was biting her lower lip before she burst out, "And you know who his best friend is, don't you?" The girl looked like she was somewhere between about to burst out laughing or about to strangle Kari for not figuring whatever it was out.

It took a moment for the information to click. She'd been so focused on Matt (not to mention half her mind had still been on TK) that she failed to remember what else Yolei had said.

"_You'll never believe who Chelsea brought with her."_

"_Who?"_

"_Her best friend, Mimi Sampler, Mimi's boyfriend, and his best friend."_

Kari was well aware of who was considered Matt Reisz's best friend. It was one of those well-known celebrity friendships. How could she not have remembered that the moment Yolei mentioned Matt's name? After all, he was part of the reason she starting listening to The Wolves music in earnest. "Yolei! Why didn't you tell me sooner?" All other thoughts were cast off as she glanced around the entrance hall as if expecting him to appear at any moment. "Where is he?" she asked, near bouncing excitement herself.

"In the upstairs loft," Yolei answered easily, grinning widely. Kari had no idea where that was, but "upstairs" was easy enough to understand. Yolei continued to speak as Kari dashed for the stairs. "I didn't tell him you were coming. I thought it would be more fun that way." Kari hardly heard her as she tore up the stairs, but she figured that he didn't know she was here. If he had known she was coming, four hour drive or not, he would have been waiting at the airport for her. Of that, she had no doubt. "Turn right, it's at the end of the hall!" Yolei called after her in laughter.

Following the instructions, Kari reached the top of the stairs and took a right before flying down the hall. She slowed slightly, trying to even out and quiet her breathing, as she got closer to the open area. Voices could be heard from the loft, but Kari couldn't make out what they were saying until she was a few feet away. A familiar voice, just as boisterous and loud as she remembered, filled her ears as he said, "Don't be so glum, Matt. We got away to have fun. I mean, I flew from _England_ to hang out with you."

It was a smoother, slightly lower voice that answered, one that she also recognized as none of than Matt Reisz. "Why couldn't we go to our house in Westover? We made sure nobody knows about it so that it _could _be the perfect place to get away."

This time it was a female who spoke. She was the only unknown so far, but her melodious voice sounded bumbly and upbeat. "That's true, but Chelsea invited me, since her little sister is apparently also bringing someone. I've been here a couple times with her before, and it's nice to get out of the city for a little while sometimes. I'm sure you haven't done much of that since your debut, and that's why I wanted to come here when Chelsea offered. And it's not really all old stuff like in the movies. You've seen the house. I mean, you wouldn't even have to leave the house if you didn't _really_ want to."

Kari took a peek around the corner and saw three people in the loft, just those whom had spoken so far. One of the men, easily recognizable as Matt Reisz, was leaning against the wall, close to the glass doors that appeared to lead to some kind of balcony or deck. His blond hair, tipped in a light blue, feathered around his face. The blue tips were the current trait of The Wolves; they'd all dyed their hair like that for their current Blue Moon World Tour which was to start in January since they released their third album last month. Yolei had explained all this in great detail, including the concert in New York in May that Yolei, in no uncertain terms, assured Kari they were going to see. As for his eyes, Kari was too far away to really see anything about them other than they were a light color. But from the pictures of Matt that she'd seen, she knew they they were blue, as light as the tips of his hair.

The woman, standing next to Matt with her hand lying on his arms, Kari recognized as well as soon as she saw her. The name, Mimi Sampler, finally clicked to where she knew where she'd heard it before. The Samplers were a family of world famous chefs. Alongside their chains of food restaurants of all varieties, they also made a fortune selling all kinds of culinary items. While they hadn't really met before, the Samplers, including Mimi, had been to a few of her father's business parties and vice versa.

Mimi Sampler was a beautiful woman with wavy caramel hair that fell almost to her shoulders. Long bangs framed her face from underneath a bubblegum pink cloche hat. Her eyes, like Matt's were light in color, but Kari could tell that they were somewhere in the brown spectrum rather than blue like her boyfriend.

For a moment, Kari wondered where Chelsea was, as she was the hostess for these three but that thought was soon dismissed as her eyes found the last occupant of the room. He sat on the couch in front of the other two with his arms sprawled across the back of it. To her, it didn't matter that he was facing away from her; his unmistakable spiked brown hair was just as she remembered it. She didn't need to see his features to know what he looked like. All of them were etched into her heart.

"I know, Mimi," Matt said. If it was possible, his frown got even deeper. He shrugged, stepping away from the wall and Mimi, causing her arm to fall back to her side. He leaned against the frame of the glass doors, looking out at the expanse of land there. "It's just…" He trailed off without finishing. Clearly, he was having troubles expressing himself. After a few seconds of silence, it was apparent he wasn't going to say anymore, and Mimi shot a worried look towards the man on the couch.

All her upbringing screamed at Kari to not interrupt (even to walk away so that she couldn't eavesdrop). Not only what she'd been taught, but she knew she was too courteous by nature (sometimes to a fault as Yolei had often pointed out) to just go in there. But then she felt a nudge against her back. Biting down her gasp of surprise, she whipped around to find Yolei. Her friend rolled her eyes at her, made a shooing gesture with her hands, and mouthed the word "go" at her. Bolstered by her friend's urging, Kari pressed her lips together and stepped fully into the room. Now, in the silence, was probably the best time to walk in anyway. Kari only said one word, but one was all she'd ever needed with him.

"Tai."

Everyone in the room looked at her, but Kari was only watching one. The man on the couch came slowly to his feet. His face, always full of expression and easy to read, was covered in shock and disbelief. "Kari?" he breathed in question.

A wide smile blossomed on her face as she nodded and stepped even further into the room. She could feel the tears burning in the corners of her eyes, but she didn't care. There was good reason to cry—it had been getting closer to three rather than two years since Kari had seen this man. He exclaimed her name again, this time his tone mirrored the joy and excitement on his face. Rather than walk around it, the man simply opted to vault over the back of the couch.

In a quick sprint, Tai closed the distance between them and flung his arms around her. Kari screamed slightly in surprise, yelling out his name in protest as he picked her up and spun her around. However, soon she was laughing happily, just glad to be back in her brother's arms after so long.

Finally, he set her down but didn't quite let her go as he took her hand it a tight grasp. Kari knew that the happy grin on his face was mirrored on her own. For as long as he'd been gone, Kari had imagined what it would be like to see her brother again, at least in person. She'd watched as many of his matches as she could, but that was always when she had to be sure their father wouldn't catch her doing so. And this moment was everything she imagined it would be. His absence had not lowered the affection between them one iota. Never was Kari as grateful that she took up Yolei's offer as she was at that moment.

Pulling her, Tai walked back over to where Matt and Mimi were standing on the other side of the room. Matt had pushed himself up from the wall; his earlier gloomy expression fallen away into confusion. Recognition, however, sparked in Mimi's eyes, and there was an expression somewhere between welcoming and cheerful on her face. Tai stopped in front of the two but pulled Kari forward in front of him. "Matt, Mimi, this is my sister, Kari." He set his hands on her shoulders as she lifted her hand in a small wave.

Matt's expression shifted again; first, it flashed to surprise for a brief second before it melted into a mix of exasperation and understanding. A puff of air, somehow sounding like a chuckle, sigh, and scoff all rolled into one, escaped his lips as he shook his head and rolled his eyes. This reaction confused her until Mimi started speaking and distracted her. "It's nice to see you again," she said, giving a small nod of acknowledgement.

Returning the gesture, Kari was about to reply with a similar sentiment when she was suddenly jerked to the side as Tai turned her so that he could see her face. "You two have met?" he asked glancing back and forth between them.

"Not officially," Mimi answered. "I've seen her at a few of my family functions and at a couple of C&L events."

Tai's arms folded tightly across his chest, and his bottom lip jutted out. Kari fought the urge to laugh because there was no denying it: her brother was pouting. "You could have said something," he mumbled.

Her hands landed on her hips as Mimi turned her eyes to him. "And what exactly would that have accomplished?" she demanded with her eyebrows raised.

The bushy haired man turned away as he muttered, "I don't know...something…"

Mimi nodded at him in a satisfied way. In moments, she was all smiles again, cheerfully introducing herself officially to Kari. "I'm Mimi Sampler." She raised a hand to press two fingers against her chest, just below her neck.

"Kari Miller," she returned. The two girls smiled at each other.

The sound of someone clearing their throat brought everyone's attention to the other man in the room. Matt stood with a single eyebrow raised, saying nothing as if he expected someone else to introduce him and couldn't possibly be bothered to do it himself. To the side of her, Tai snorted loudly and threw his thumb out in the direction of the blond. "And this ball of sunshine is my best friend, Matt Reisz." His tone was dripping in sarcasm.

His words had an immediate effect. Matt's eyes narrowed and this time it was his arms that folded defensively across his chest. "I think I have a right to be a bit irritated, if you ask me," he snapped. Kari flinched slightly at his tone, but Mimi simply wilted slightly, as if disappointed.

On the other hand, Tai simply stiffened in response. "A bit?" he repeated. Kari got the feeling that he felt Matt's irritation was more than just 'a bit'.

Matt's jaw clenched tightly. "Yeah," he sneered from behind tight lips.

There was silence in the room. Kari glanced worriedly between the two men. Generally, she knew how to calm down her own brother, but other than clips and articles she'd seen and read, she didn't know Matt at all. Therefore, she had no idea what would happen if she tried to jump in between them. Desperately, she looked to Mimi, who knew both of them and was in a better position to stop an argument, but the other woman was just biting her bottom lip looking worried. After a few moments of silence, Tai commented flatly, "You're the one who wrote a song about it." The hostility in his voice had disappeared. Kari got the distinct feeling as her brother gazed intently at his best friend that he was no longer really aware that she was there anymore. This issue with his friend, whatever it was, really concerned him.

"Well, I wasn't expecting it to become the best hit from the album, so that I would have to sing it all the time," Matt retorted. Suddenly, his entire body sagged as his demeanor shifted into one of defeat. His hand pressed to his forehead as his gaze dropped. "Probably for the rest of my career," he added quietly. The hand slid down his face and he took a deep, almost shaky breath as he gazed down at the floor at nothing. His expression was almost panicked as he whispered, "Crap. What am I going to do if it becomes one of those songs they play on the radio for like fifty years?"

The entire atmosphere of the room changed after Matt's quiet admission. Mimi no longer looked worried that the two men were about to launch at each other and begin a brawl. Instead, she looked melancholy herself, perhaps emphasizing with her boyfriend. On Tai, his expression of concern was one she'd only seen him turn on her and their mother. She was floored and amazed that Tai had found himself such a close friend as that in the short amount of time they'd known each other. Taking a step away from her and towards Matt, Tai asked his friend a question. "Why did you write it then?" Kari felt this was a crux in the conversation, the question that might have been asked before she interrupted.

Matt moved back to the glass doors and gazed out. There was silence for a few seconds, and Kari resisted the urge to just leave. As important as she felt her reunion with her brother was, she could tell this was important as well. So, while she felt intrusive, Kari also didn't want to draw attention to herself by trying to leave. "Writing music is therapeutic for me," Matt finally answered. Turning partly back, it was easy to see the smirk on his face as he wryly continued, "Which is why _I'm a musician_." The smirk died around his next words. "I was _trying_ to get over it." He turned and leaned against the glass, closing his eyes as he let his head fall back. "I figured I'd never have to sing it again after we recorded it for the album."

"But…" Tai started hesitantly. Faltering over his words, he said, "I mean...it happened when you were a kid. Shouldn't it not affect you so much now?" Under the blue icy glare of Matt's narrowed eyes, a shiver ran through Kari as she swore she felt the temperature in the room drop. From her usually somewhat thick brother, the apology was swift and immediate, "Sorry. Right. I should have known better than to say that."

"Yes, you should have," the blond man bit out. However, the tension of his body relaxed slightly, and Kari breathed out softly the breath she hadn't realized she'd been holding. "Considering you've gone through kind of the same thing."

Tai nodded somberly, and Kari started to think and wonder what they were talking about. Clearly, Matt had written a song about an event in his life he'd rather forget. An event that Tai shared in some form. "Can't you just...I don't know...tell them you don't want to sing it?" Tai asked, scratching the back of his head. There were only two things in Tai's life that Kari could recall that spoke of that kind of pain and heartache: their mother's death and the day he went away. Both involved important people in his life and leaving. Perhaps someone dear to Matt had left as well.

"Tai, we've been through this before," Matt said with a roll of his eyes.

"We wouldn't have to again if you would stop moping about it," Tai interjected in a mutter.

Matt seemingly ignored the interruption as he continued to speak as if his friend hadn't said anything at all. "The rest of my band loves it. The president loves it. _The whole world loves it. _Believe me, _I've asked_, but my president said now that it's a hit, people will expect it at the concerts. I don't have a choice," he finished dishearteningly.

Meanwhile, Kari was now keeping only half her attention on the conversation that seemed to be heating back up into the bickering it had started within the beginning. In her mind, she was running through the songs in the album, trying to figure out what one they were talking about. Of course, she'd listened to all the songs, but since Yolei tended to gush about _every_ song The Wolves put out and she didn't listen to the radio much, Kari couldn't remember which one was the big hit. She was sure that she would know the name if she heard it. But at the moment, she was simply drawing a complete blank. "But you're the leader!" Tai protested, as if, in his opinion, that trumped everything.

The retort from his friend was swift and merciless. "Yeah and you're the star of your team. Does that mean you get to pick when your coach starts you?" he demanded as he jabbed his finger at Tai's chest.

In answer, Tai's cocky grin appeared on his face as he reached up and placed his hands behind his head. It was a position that Kari was familiar with, having seen it before. Tai thought he had the upper hand. "He'd be a fool not to," he smirked. Matt sighed in exasperation.

"Moron."

"Drama queen."

At that, the petty name calling, Kari had to cover her mouth to blanket the giggles that threatened to escape, but she wasn't entirely successful. "Entertaining, aren't they?" Mimi commented from next to her. Kari looked at her to find a similar expression of amusement on her face.

Both of the men jumped as if they just realized there were still other people in the room. A horrified look filled Tai's face as he gazed at her. "I'm sorry, Kari!" he gushed. Her brother rushed back to her side and grabbed her into another bonecrushing hug.

After he left her go, Matt abruptly turned to her and stuck out his hand. "It's nice to finally meet you, Kari," he said. Kari took his hand for a brief shake. "Your brother talks about you all the time. Sometimes, annoyingly so." He shot a glare at his friend, but there was really no heat in it. Kari realized he was simply teasing her brother.

Tai dropped an arm around her shoulder. "Well, so would you if you had a sibling, and they were adorable as my sister." It was at this moment that Kari realized it did not take much to set the two off on each other. But there was little to no true malice behind their words. Again, their close friendship amazed her.

"Umm...I really like your music," Kari blurted out to Matt. In a sudden flash, the name of the elusive song came to her. Before she could stop herself, the question fell out of her mouth. "Were you talking about _Come Back_?" The sad, heartbreaking ballad was the most popular song from their album. The other new hit was more upbeat so she doubted that was the one they had been talking about.

Matt's gaze narrowed, and Kari realized she was treading on dangerous ground. Any wrong word might set him off again. "Yeah, actually. Is it your favorite?" He sounded like he dreaded the answer, and she realized it truly bothered him that everyone was so in love with the song that seemed to bring him so much pain.

"No!" The protest left her lips more quickly than she'd expected. However, realizing that might sound bad, too, she quickly amended with, "I mean, I do like it. It's good. Very sad and I'm pretty sure I cry almost every time I hear it but great song." Kari snapped her jaw shut when she found herself rambling. Feeling like she couldn't leave that kind of impression, she added, "Actually, _Sincerity_ was my favorite."

When she said that, she got three separate reactions from all the people in the room. Matt looked embarrassed and his cheeks flushed slightly to match. Mimi beamed happily, her eyes shining. And Tai hid laughter behind his hand. "Uh...thanks," Matt murmured, rubbing the back of his neck. A small smile replaced the embarrassment when Mimi stepped up to him and wrapped her arm around his. "It was one of my favorites to write," he added, gazing at his girlfriend.

Understanding dawned on Kari. _Sincerity_ had been a love ballad. It wasn't too much of a stretch of the imagination to come to the conclusion that he had written it about Mimi. The romantic moment between the two (which had Kari squealing on the inside) was broken by her brother. "Ugh," he exclaimed in disgust. "Please go gaze meaningfully at each other somewhere else." The twin glares the couple had trained on their friend had Kari nearly in giggles again. He turned to her as he continued, "Onto more important matters."

Kari panicked again, sure she was interrupting all their plans once more. "What important matters?" she asked.

"Why you, my dearest sister." The grin he had trained on her was once again more cocky and mischievous than anything else. "Would you like me to kidnap you?"

* * *

_Author's Notes: So, Tai is here because Kari needed a brother. Matt is here because Tai needed a best friend. And Mimi is here because Matt needed a girlfriend and I hadn't written Mimato yet. That and I love writing Mimi. And that's it. After this ranch arc, we'll hardly see Mimi anymore. Matt and Tai a little more but not by much._

_And again, Matt and Tai banter gets away from me. Which is why we are _still on day one.


	4. Piano Man

Author's Notes: This is the last chapter written out and the fifth chapter is being written-ish. I have had a serious case of March senioritis. Which wouldn't be odd except I'm not even _in_ school anymore. Plus let's just say four K-Pop concerts in six weeks makes one unable to focus on anything else. I will try my best not to leave you hanging for too long.

* * *

TK stared at the closed front door for a few seconds before a huff from Pegasus brought him back to reality. Taking a deep breath, he hopped down the steps to regather the reins in his hands, pulling the golden horse towards the stable. His mind was going through what had just happened, trying to figure it out. Was he now friends with Kari Miller? Resolving then and there that Davis would never hear the details of this particular vacation, TK led Pegasus into the stall. His friend would likely not talk to him for weeks out of jealousy.

Perhaps he could tell their other friend, Ken, but it was probably best that he didn't bring it up at all. He'd already been trying to figure out how to break the news that Davis's idol, the ace soccer player, Tai Miller, and the leader of his favorite band, Matt Reisz of The Wolves, were staying at the main house. Add on to that the fact he became friends with someone as beautiful and nice (not to mention rich) as Kari Miller? Simply stated, it was a recipe for disaster. It was just best if he said nothing.

Unhooking the saddle, he cleaned it quickly; the now mindless task allowed his thoughts to clear. TK hung the saddle up and took a brush back to the stall. As he brushed Pegaus's coat, the full weight of what he'd done fell on him. Really, what had he been thinking, acting like that with Kari?

When he first saw her jumping back from him, TK thought the girl was cute and adorable, as he imagined most anyone would. As he knew next to nothing about cars, it had been easy enough to offer her a ride to the ranch. He'd guessed who she was before she'd even introduced herself, since literally no one came that far onto Sincere Love property if they weren't meant to be there. And Mr. Christun had told his grandfather about their visitors this break. TK's grandfather had then informed him when he'd arrived yesterday, reminding him that he should be respectful to them, just like he was to the Christuns, and that famous or not, TK should not seek them out or bother them.

But Kari had been so casually friendly that it had been easy to be his normal friendly self back. To simply toss away the reserved persona his grandfather had cultivated for him to use around the Christuns, their guests, and anyone else "above us" as Michel Erholtz termed it. His grandfather was a man who knew his place and was happy being there. It didn't seem to matter to him that his own employer's didn't see him as "beneath" them and insisted on a casual relationship. The fact that Yolei ignored him had more to do with that the girl could be single-minded when she was focused on something and that they didn't know each that well more than anything else.

Despite the fact that TK didn't really agree with his grandfather and was more in the "you can become whatever you want to be" camp, he knew he had no right to be having any thoughts about Kari Miller beyond platonic. She was like a princess, and he was no more than a normal high school student. Yet, he'd felt that initial spark of attraction ignite when she'd thrown her arms around him in gratitude. That's probably what prompted him to return the gesture of rubbing her hand and to wrap his arm around her when she leaned back. And that moment, when their faces had been close enough to almost kiss...it was best that he got this under control.

A part of him still couldn't believe he'd told her about his parents. TK didn't talk about his parents to anyone. And, thanks to Davis and Ken after freshman year, most everyone in the school knew better than to ask. Perhaps he'd gotten used to no one asking him about it, and Kari couldn't have possibly known that about him, so it wasn't like he could blame her for asking. Even though it had happened a long time ago, his mother's death still pained him deeply.

TK patted Pegasus on the neck after he finished brushing him. On the other hand, his father, while the thought of his death hurt, was really painful for an entirely different reason. "Do you think I'll ever find out who he is, boy?" he murmured to his horse. Of course, there was no answer from Pegasus. Leaving the stall, TK put the brush away and exited the stable. He hesitated outside the door; if he went right, that would take him to the small home he and his grandfather lived in. However, if he went to the left that would take him back to the main house.

At the moment, going back home did not exactly sound appealing. His grandfather would know something was wrong with him and insist that TK tell him what it was. This would prompt him to be either evasive or lie outright, neither option Michel Erholtz would likely accept. TK knew, if anything, he was a really, _really_ bad liar. And he couldn't tell his grandfather that he'd been thinking about his father again. For reasons Michel wouldn't explain, his grandfather disliked his father intensely and didn't like when TK brought him up. Michel would be happy if the man was forgotten altogether.

Which was why he knew next to nothing about the man. Not even his name.

If his mother had told him anything, he didn't remember. TK couldn't even use his own last name as a clue. He'd used Erholtz throughout his whole life, which was his mother's maiden name. The things that he knew about the man could be summed up into the whopping big number of three. First, and most obvious of the three, was the fact that he was not alive. That he died while his mom was pregnant, and he had never met TK. In fact, for all he knew, the man might not have known of his existence before he died, though TK liked to think that he had.

The second fact he knew TK had learned from his grandfather the one time Michel had been willing to answer his question. He'd sprung it on the man when he'd been about ten or eleven. Even now, he wasn't quite sure what had brought about his worry, but he remembered he'd felt the urgent need to know, at the time. So, when he asked his grandfather if his parents had been married, Michel had quickly quelled his worry by affirming that they had been. Of course, he wouldn't give TK anymore information than that.

As for the final thing, it was really more of an assumption on TK's part rather than a certainty. From the pictures of his mother than he'd seen, TK could only assume that he looked more like his father than his mother. That was not to say he thought he was a spitting image, but other than his blond hair and blue eyes among a few other features, he didn't look a lot like his mother. Or his grandfather for that matter.

And that summed up everything he knew about his father. He'd accepted a long time ago that it was likely _all_ he would ever learn. The only family he had was his grandfather, and Michel wasn't saying anything. TK literally had no one else to ask. Bringing up his dad around Michel was a surefire way to make the man bristle, so TK was reluctant to return home.

Yet, the main house wasn't exactly a hundred percent chance of peace either because that was where Kari was at the moment. It was unlikely they would run into each other just due to the size of the house, unless Yolei took her on a tour of the entire place. And he'd really rather not see Kari again until he could get this attraction he felt for her under control and down to an "I think you're pretty in an objective sort of way" level. The last thing he needed was for it to grow into TK liking Kari Miller on romantic terms thing. Friends he could handle, but he knew where the other type of relationship with her would end up. He wasn't stupid.

Still, he knew in the main house that he could find a measure of peace and a place to settle his thoughts. That knowledge outweighed the risks of seeing Kari again (not to mention, a part of him wanted to see her again anyway), and so, TK took to the left and headed for the main house, leaving the stable and the path to his home behind.

He entered through the back door that led to a mud room attached to the large kitchen. It was the only door he'd ever used to enter into the house. TK was pretty sure he'd never even been up to the front porch until Kari dragged him up there. There had never been a need to before. He cut through the kitchen and passed through the dining room to the hallway. The Christuns weren't exactly a quiet family, plus with the addition of four guests, and the open floor plan allowed the voices to carry. However, most of them were coming from the other side of the house, where most of the bedrooms and living spaces were. Pausing when he swore he heard the sound of Kari's laughter (and wondering how he could possibly know it so well already), TK shook his head and went in the opposite direction.

Entering one of the lesser used rooms of the house, TK breathed in deeply, taking in one of his favorite smells: books. The library was one of the rooms to which he had unrestricted access. While many hours had been spent sitting in his favorite armchair reading—a chair Mrs. Christun had tried to give to him once she'd found him in it for the hundredth time, but TK had gently refused, insisting he liked it just where it was—the books were not his reason for being there today.

In the center of the room, creating itself into the focal point, was a beautiful, sleek grand piano. One of his only memories with his mother was sitting with her at their old, out-of-tune, upright piano, as she taught him the basics of playing. His small fingers hadn't been able to do much at the time, but after she died, he'd kept up the practice as a connection to her. TK wouldn't say he was at the level of a concert pianist or anything, but he could play a wide range of songs from reading the music and quite a few from memory as well.

As soon as he'd discovered his talent, Mr. Christun had the grand piano tuned and refurbished; the instrument had long sat untouched in the library, turning into more of a decoration than an instrument. That done, he'd invited TK to come and play it whenever he'd like. Brushing his fingers along the keys, he smiled softly when they came away dustless. The library got cleaned less often than the rest of the house, due to the fact that it was just simply used less. But clearly they'd had it cleaned before he'd come. Perhaps Mrs. Christun had anticipated that he'd want to play. She commented before that she enjoyed his music, especially this time of year.

TK took to the bench and played a simple set of scales, testing the tuning of the piano. It was perfect, as usual. Setting his fingers on the keys, he began to play. Nothing quite gave him peace than losing himself into the cadence of music.

* * *

She blinked at her brother, unsure what exactly to make of that statement. Her mouth fell open but quickly shut again when she realized she had nothing else to say besides repeating his question back to him. "Not this again," Matt suddenly muttered. Two of his fingers pinched the bridge of his nose.

"Hey," Tai protested hotly, turning away from her and back to his best friend. Kari got the distinct feeling that they were about to start bickering again. Given Mimi's earlier statement, she guessed that they did this sort of banter a lot. "Those plans were going to work."

Matt visibly rolled his eyes. "Right," he drawled. There was so much sarcasm in his tone it would have been impossible for anyone to miss it. "Parachuting onto the rooftop was really going to happen." Kari's jaw dropped. Her brother actually came up with the idea to _parachute_ onto the roof of their penthouse in New York? Was he insane?! She couldn't _count_ the ways that could go wrong, and he could have died.

"I stand by it," Tai iterated confidently. Clearly, the answer to that question was a resounding 'yes'. His expression turned contemplative as he rubbed his chin. "If I could have figured out an escape plan, that one would have been golden." Kari was worried that it was _that_ and not the _certainty of death_ that dissuaded her brother.

"You mean _because_ you couldn't come up with an escape plan, you had to scrape the idea."

"You doubt my abilities?"

"Only when you're going to be arrested."

As she watched the two men descend yet again into their bickering, Kari leaned into Mimi. Behind her hand, she whispered a question she was pretty sure she already knew the answer to into the woman's ear. "Do they do this a lot?" she asked.

Mimi's lips tugged slightly upward in amusement. "All the time," she murmured back out of the corner of her mouth. Kari nodded in acknowledgement; she figured as much.

"Ah, come on. I'm not going to get arrested from kidnapping her. She's my sister!"

"Doesn't matter, Tai. Still a felony. Face it. You can't do anything until she's eighteen."

"That's forever away!"

"July is not forever away."

"Seems like it sometimes."

"Think about it this way. After next month, you'll be on the downward spiral."

"I guess that's true. Thanks."

"Don't mention it."

A lull in the conversation came then, and Kari took that moment to plead, "Can someone please explain this kidnapping thing?"

Both her brother and Matt looked at her before exchanging a look and bursting out laughing. "Sorry, Kari," Tai said. Then, he sobered after a moment. "When I left, I didn't think that Dad wouldn't let me see you." His hands lifted to clasp behind his head as a sheepish laugh escaped him. "I figured the only way to see you again was to kidnap you. But as my friend so _helpfully_ pointed out, it is apparently a crime."

Kari laughed heartily; this kind of thing reminded her exactly of the headstrong brother she'd adored as a child. It was nice to know that not everything always changed.

"Everyone settled in, Mimi? Anything I missed?"

Yolei entered the room, trailing along behind her older sister, Chelsea, who was the one who had spoken. Kari beckoned to her friend, and Yolei joined her at her side. She suppressed a giggle as Yolei stared at Matt starry-eyed. "Just waiting on you," Mimi replied back. "As for what you missed...well, only the greatest family reunion of the century."

Chelsea blinked around the room, and her eyes landed on Kari. Understanding filled her face as she laughed. "You're Yolei's friend, right?" Kari nodded. "And Tai's little sister." Again, she nodded. Chelsea laughed amusedly. "Small world. Had I known I would have told Tai."

"Which is why I didn't tell you," Yolei butt in. "That would have ruined all the fun of surprising them."

Chelsea pouted, and Kari took the moment to introduce her brother to her best friend. Suddenly, Matt shushed everybody and asked, "Do you guys hear that?"

In the silence, the sound of a piano being played could be heard faintly. "Oh, that must be TK," Chelsea said. "I hadn't realized he was back yet. Mom will be happy. She kept saying how much she missed hearing him play."

"_He plays the piano_?!" Kari choked out to Yolei. Her throat suddenly felt constricted as she imagined TK at the piano, fingers gliding along the keys. Just when she assumed her attraction to him would fade quickly, she had to find out about this. The fact that he was handsome was bad enough for her. That he was handsome and played a beautiful instrument like the piano? She ought to give up now because how was anyone supposed to resist that.

Yolei gave her this look that clearly asked why did she care, but a question from Matt and Tai brought the fact that they were not alone quickly back to her attention. "Who is he?" Matt asked.

Arms folded tightly across his chest and glare on his face, Tai's muscles tightened and his jaw clenched. "Yes, who is this kid?" He echoed the question a little more darkly. Matt shot a questioning look at his best friend, but then his gaze moved over to Kari. With a heavy sigh, he rolled his eyes. Kari swallowed hotly. Could _everyone_ see that she kind of sort of not really _liked_ TK but kind of sort of maybe _wanted_ to? Was Tai _really_ going to go all protective big brother on her?

Probably completely oblivious to the atmosphere around her, Yolei shrugged her shoulders indifferently. "He's the grandson of our dad's foreman, grouchy old Mr. Erholtz."

Chelsea suddenly huffed indignantly. "I have never understood your indifference to him. If I was his age like you were, I would be all over that."

Yolei shrugged again. "We don't honestly have that much in common. He's all about horses and books. I rebuild computers in my spare time."

"He's positively adorable, plays the piano, and has a sad, tragic past. How could any girl resist that?" Chelsea inquired, echoing Kari's thoughts a little too precisely. "I swear sometimes we are not related," she finished.

This time Yolei rolled her eyes expressively and heaved a sigh. "I prefer them tall, dark, and handsome, you know. I mean, he's tallish and handsome, but dark is the most important!"

"Tall_ish_?" Chelsea echoed. "If he was here, he would be the tallest person in this room! Except probably if you counted Tai's hair."

"Sad, tragic past?"

The mood turned melancholy quickly at Matt's quietly spoken question. Kari noticed that her brother tensed again, but this time he was looking at his best friend with worry in his eyes. Mimi mirrored his expression. Chelsea nodded in answer. "He's an orphan. It's why he lives with his grandfather."

"Oh, how sad," Mimi murmured sincerely.

Matt nodded tersely, the dark brooding expression Kari had first seen back on his face. "Excuse me," he said, shortly. He walked past everyone and left the loft, leaving the way Kari had come. Mimi made to follow him, but Tai grabbed her arm and shook his head. She bit her bottom lip but nodded and stayed where she was.

In a complete one-eighty, Tai grinned happily at Kari, shocking her completely. "Now, my dearest sister, we have plans to make," he announced. "I haven't see you in forever, so I plan on making the most of every moment of this last Christmas together!" His fist pumped into the air. After a pause, a thoughtful expression fell onto his face. "Until you're eighteen, at least, and I can kind of maybe legally kidnap you."

Kari laughed at her brother but part of her mind was still lingering on two blond boys.


End file.
